The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-10
THE WORLDS WASTE.
Fortunes Annually Thrown Away In Cn~
Considcred Trlles.

COlhtttCTtu Tiho
l wish l had a nickel for every dollar
wasted in this colHtry. Sos, I'll reduce
that proposition TO n cent on tho dollar
and then retire rich in u few years. 1
don't mean wasted by tho rich, but by
tho poor and tho moderately well of.
And when / say waste, / don't include
flowers, pictures or articles solely for tho
ryo, nor do / consider it waste for q rich
man to have n suit for every day in tho
year, or 500 pairs of pantaloOns, like that
cstimablc New York gentleman, Berry
Wall. l mean waste I'm every day, mat
ten of fact articles such IN everybody
uses.
Let us take pins, for q starter. YUu
have doubtless been asked what becomes
of the pins and didn't know. Nobody
knows, not cvcn the English journal that
recently offered n cash prize for n solu-
ton of tho problem. They are lost, and
that's all you can soy about it. but why
should they bo lost1 You don't lose your
diamond pin, although it's not much
larger than q common brass ono. 1t Ia
cvidont that tho pins could be taken care
of, and that they ought to be let fi8ures
attest. There arc 90, 600, coo people IN
the UNited States, and l am sure every
one on an average loses five cents worth
Of pins per nnnum That makes 90, 000,.
900 IL year conc nowhere. My / per
cent. On that would give mo $50, 600 %
year; enough to clotho me. NJ any rate.
Just think Of $4,000, 900 u year host f0r.
ever, w not ono pin in go, 900, 600 Is ever
found again.
But that is only n beginning. Lot us
take up cigars and pipes rs tho next arti-
clio on the catalogue of waste. Don't DO
alarmed! / am not going to compute tho
cost OF smoking and call it waste, because
am a smoker and lave scruples. / am
going TO conccde that money invested IN
tobacco Is well invested and thonHepea
your eyes to another awful leak. Let IN
approach tho subject gradually, because
it is vast. There nro 1000, 900 cigars q
week smoked in this city and 1000, 900
pilo loads of tobacco. Don't ask me how
know this data-you put me out. Av-
rrago cost Of cigar to consumer, Ave
cents; total cost, $50, 900. Average cost
of pipo load, one cent; t,ial cost, $40, 900.
Grand total, $40, 600 q week expended.
II Of this amount onc-fifth Is wasted.
After long observation and careful calcu-
lation | find thst onc.ffth of each cigar
IL thrown away unsmokcd and tho same
proportion of each pipo load. This ma
seem largo, but / am confident that It Il
rather under the average, and it repre-
scnts n loss of GA, 900 q week, or $685.
600 n year. Remember, this in Plliladci-
phia alone, and I can safely multiply it
by fifty 10 include the rest of the country.
Grand total, $40, 400. 600, OH which my
percentage is $500, 600. / already have
a respectable income you perceive.
Now we come to liquors -~vinous, malt
and spirituous-to be treated In the same
way. Tho average man leaves q portion
in his glass; not much, to be sure, for
times arc hard, but at least n twentieth.
Another wasteful habit prevails Of blows
ing the froth off beer, but l will lot that
pass. To figures again: Six thousand
saloons, Mt 100 drinks per saloon and av>
craSo cost eight cents, equals $48, 600 q
day, or $l3, O24 900 q year. Five per
cent. waste equals $G5l 200 for Philadel,
phia, S32, 500, 900 for the whole country
n $685., 600 for me.
I'M only in tho suburbs OF this sab.
lect, and already l am appalled, Mt tho
amount of territory that stretches before
me l will have TO bunch my hits. IL
IL estimated by careful h~ousekeepers that
ohc-tenth OF each pot of coffee or tea In
not fit to drink, and what to- do with tho
slops no one knows. Humping tho crusts
OF bread, ends OF steaks, daba of butter,
crumbs OF cake and pie remnants, ] am
within bounds when l say that one. tsnth
OF every meal goes to waste, and since
everybody cats, even IL they don't smoke
or drink, The aggregate must be cnor-
nous. j will not enter into figures, but
viii content myself with taking $500, 600
year as my percentage.
ii avo not finished, even IL I do quit.
In tho matter of buttons there must 30 %
largo sum coming to mo, and likewise I'm
the item of matches. Very few persons
make n match do its full duty. Then
look at the unnecessary amount Of PAPER
that h used in making fires by women,
when old paper is worth a cent O ponn,L
There arc other things too numerous TO
mention, and | have not taken at ell into
account the things that are thrown away
and return TO their original elements, md
so In q measure are not wasted. / aun
AWAKE that tho list is Incomplete, onL I
feel sure you will be able to supplement
1t from your experienco.-Phfiadcipija
Call.
IfarnfarsIN anI IT,